1. Cut beef roast into serving-sized portions. Use more beef if you need more than 6 servings. Brown beef in a bit of vegetable oil, although you can skip this step if rushed for time.

2. Slice onion and separate into rings. Dice the peeled carrots, dice the celery and slice the peppers into thin strips or circles.

Place these into bottom of crockpot. Sprinkle the beef pieces with fresh ground black pepper, minced garlic and the onion soup mix.

Place on top of the vegetables. 3. Mix the steak sauce and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl with about ½ cup water and ½ cup tomato juice. Pour this over the meat.

4. Turn the crockpot to high for 30 minutes, or, if you're in a hurry, skip this step. Turn to low, cover and cook for 7-9 hours.

* Keep the crockpot covered as much as possible throughout cooking time. A crockpot can be used to cook this type of meal for a varied amount of time, depending on your schedule. It is not important that you take the meat and vegetables out at a specific amount of time.

One or two hours either way usually makes no difference.

When ready to serve, dip meat and vegetables out of pot with a slotted spoon. Use the liquid as is or turn crockpot to high and thicken liquid with a little flour or cornstarch.